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Cattle losing adaptations to environment
As a fourth-generation cattle farmer, Jared Decker knows that cattle suffer from health and productivity issues when they are taken from one environment — which the herd has spent generations adapting to — to a place with a different climate, a different elevation or even different gr...Read more -
Antibiotic-resistant strains of staph bacteria may be spreading between pigs raised in factory farms
DNA sequencing of bacteria found in pigs and humans in rural eastern North Carolina, an area with concentrated industrial-scale pig-farming, suggests that multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains are spreading between pigs, farmworkers, their families and community residents, and represe...Read more -
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in cattle
Growing resistance to our go-to antibiotics is one of the biggest threats the world faces. As common bacteria like strep and salmonella become resistant to medications, what used to be easily treatable infections can now pose difficult medical challenges. New research from the University of Georg...Read more -
A vaccine against the lethal cattle disease East Coast fever
Disease can be devastating for livestock, and for the people whose livelihoods depend on them. For many pastoralists and small-scale farmers, the loss of even one cow can be disastrous. East Coast fever – a cancer-like, tick-transmitted disease first discovered in 1903 in Africa – kills cattle w...Read more -
Why Ethiopia’s dairy industry can’t meet growing demand for milk
The demand for dairy products is rising rapidly in Ethiopia. Prices are being pushed up as demand is met by imported products, particularly powdered milk. The Conversation Africa’s Moina Spooner asked Azage Tegegne for insights into the challenges facing the sector. What does Ethiopia’s dairy sec...Read more -
Researchers track down toxin from maple tree in Cow’s Milk
Cows can pass on the hypoglycin A toxin through their milk, a study by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in “Toxins” revealed recently. The toxins discovered in cow’s milk can cause acute symptoms in humans and animals. A sma...Read more -
E-Livestock Global Launch Mastercard Blockchain-Based Solution To Bring Visibility To The Cattle Industry In Zimbabwe
● Zimbabwe is the first African country to see the roll out of E-Livestock Global’s traceability system powered by Mastercard’s Blockchain-based Provenance solution, bringing end-to-end visibility to the cattle supply chain ● Innovative solution brings new hope for farmers, while helping Zimbabw...Read more -
An evolutionary jolt helped cattle to spread across Africa. Now genetics must make them more productive
African cattle breeds are astonishingly diverse, and often quite beautiful. They range from the dark-red Ankole of southern Uganda, with their massive heat-dissipating horns, to the Boran which thrive in the dusty plains of northern Kenya, to Ethiopia’s sturdy Mursi cattle, with their prominent s...Read more -
Understanding thermal imaging
Internationally, thermal imaging has been recognised as a rapid, affordable and non-invasive alternative for diagnosing the cause of discomfort, pain and unsoundness in horses. An infrared camera can be used to identify ‘hot spots’ where inflammation is present, and ‘cold spots’ where it is not. ...Read more -
Traceability to open beef export opportunities for Zimbabwe
A livestock traceability system in Zimbabwe is crucial to gain access to global markets and improve the national herd’s health status. This was according to the country’s deputy minister of agriculture Vangelis Haritotod. Speaking at the launch of the E-Livestock Global and Mastercard Livestock T...Read more -
Thorn tree leaves a nutritious grain substitute in pig feed
Including leguminous leaf meal in a pig’s diet can reduce the proportion of soya bean normally used. Acacia leaves, for example, have a relatively high crude protein (CP) and favourable mineral concentration. A South African study evaluated the nutritive value of Acacia leaf meals and found that ...Read more -
Researchers find toxin from maple tree in cow’s milk
Cows can pass on the hypoglycin A toxin through their milk, a study by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Toxins shows. The substance can cause severe symptoms in humans and animals. Small amounts of the toxin were detected...Read more -
Producing cashmere
Despite a large goat population, South Africa produces little to no cashmere. Yet there is little reason why South Africa could not join Australia and New Zealand, among other countries, in meeting the demand for this popular commodity. Found on all goats Cashmere is the fine undercoat hair (down...Read more -
New study uncovers crucial details of emerging cattle disease in Europe, Asia
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have measured the risk of different insect species transmitting lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) for the first time. LSDV causes severe disease in cattle and is rapidly emerging into new regions. It has recently spread from Africa and the Middle East into catt...Read more -
Mineral source and its influence on fiber digestibility, milk performance and body weight gain
Trouw Nutrition, Nutreco’s animal nutrition division, is sharing findings from Universities/Research centers and studies conducted on commercial farms evaluating the influence of sulfate-based and hydroxychloride trace minerals on beef and dairy cattle digestibility of neutral detergent fiber, wr...Read more -
Making wildlife part of your horse business
The current economic downturn resulting from the COVID- 19 pandemic is encouraging horse owners and breeders to think strategically. Shows have been cancelled during lockdown and it is probable that this will continue until most people have been vaccinated. Showing is an integral part of marketin...Read more -
How farm dams can maintain biodiversity on farm
This is the hypothesis University of New England aquatic biologist Dr Debbie Bower is about to test as part of a $425,469 Australian Research Council grant. While their primary role is for agricultural water storage, there is evidence that over two million farms dams in Australia – which ac...Read more -
Health and safety do’s and don’ts for farmers
“Health and safety is a critical component that should be central to every business strategy. After all, healthy workers are the heartbeat of any business,” says Jahni de Villiers, director at Labour Amplified. To this end, she adds, it is essential that employers adhere to the requirements of th...Read more -
Grazing management of salt marshes contributes to coastal defense
Combining natural salt marsh habitats with conventional dikes may provide a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative for fully engineered flood protection. Researchers of the University of Groningen (UG) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) studied how salt marsh nat...Read more -
Global Roundtable Commits to Reduce Net Global Warming Impact of Beef 30% by 2030
The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), announced the launch of its global sustainability goals – commitments to advance and improve the sustainability of the global beef value chain. Established by GRSB, the goals will be led and implemented by members of the Roundtable. One of the bi...Read more -
Genome technology is blueprint to more productive herds
Genome technology has unlocked new cattle breeding methods which could improve fertility and lead to increases in profitability, sustainability and productivity. University of Queensland researcher Professor Ben Hayes co-developed the technology – called genomic selection – which could produce di...Read more -
From meadow to plate The cultured meat that replaces animals with grass
An affordable lab system that uses grass blades to turn cells into cultured meat has been developed at the University of Bath in the UK. Researchers have successfully taken grass from the university’s campus and used it to create a scaffold that animal cells can attach to and grow on. The r...Read more -
Boost productivity with heifers
Good heifer management should aim for early puberty, a higher weaning rate, low mortality and early identification of female animals for turn-off. The goal is to ensure that only efficient first-calf cows enter the main cow herd at three years of age. Heifers have greater nutritional demands than...Read more -
5 ways animals help reduce global poverty
One in eight people around the world will go to bed hungry. At Heifer International, we believe livestock has a really important role to play in ending global hunger and poverty. Here are 5 reasons why. 1. Animals provide nutritious food In poor countries, many people — especially women and girls...Read more
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